The Race is On
by xOceanxPinkx
Summary: The races for Homecoming Court have been open... And two couples are feuding. What's a school to do? Full summary inside! Formerly known as Homecoming. CHAPTER 4 NOW UP!
1. Chapter 1: Celebrity Monday Part One

So, here's a little fanfic idea I came up with last night! Just to specify one thing... Chad is in his senior year in this story. I think the movie placed him one year older than Troy, seeing as Chad himself said "Troy's the only sophomore to make varsity basketball". Which means...? Yeah, you guessed it.

To those who read my anime fanfics (I was formerly Yami'sGirl4ever), I will get those updated ASAP. Just need to add a few finishing touches, that's all.

**Better Summary:** Troy and Gabriella are in their senior year now. Revered as the "Cutest Couple Ever", they decide to run for Homecoming King and Queen. Unfortunately for them, Chad and Taylor are not far behind. Now the competition gets rough as rumors are started and hearts are broken. And it's just pure coincidence that Ryan and Sharpay enter the race as things fall apart... Right?

**Disclaimer:**I clearly do not own High School Musical.

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**Homecoming**

_By Arwen Celestine_

**Chapter 1: Celebrity Monday- Part One  
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It was now Homecoming week at East High. Although the school was more popular for its basketball team, everybody loved school spirit; and of course, the spectacular dance that usually came with the package. The whole week was filled with fun themes, prizes, and also…The election for Homecoming King and Queen.

Troy and Gabriella walked into school that Monday, dressed up as different celebrities. Troy (after doing some heavy research online) found out he looked exactly like Zac Efron, and came to school dressed as the character Cameron from _Summerland_. Gabriella, dressed in Hogwarts robes, had discovered that after seeing _Harry Potter_, she and Emma Watson looked somewhat alike.

"Hey Troy!" said Chad as he and Taylor walked into the school, hand in hand. Chad was wearing a basketball jersey and some "bling-bling", while Taylor was wearing an outfit from a Ciara music video.

Troy burst out laughing. "And who are you supposed to be?"

"Ciara and Bow-Wow. What's so funny about it?"

Taylor groaned and hid her face behind her hands. "Chaaaaad, I told you this was a bad idea!" She looked over at Gabriella, who grinned. "He assured me we would look great like this."

Chad pulled Taylor close and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Not great, but sexy." He made a sad attempt at a purr, and the group burst into giggles.

"I hope you aren't laughing at me and Ryan's costume," said Sharpay as she trounced into the main hallway. Her hair was done in layers, and she was wearing a silver dress. In tow was the most hilarious sight anyone could have ever seen. Ryan was dressed up like... Well, it's hard to describe.

"Sharpay, can I remove this nose ring?" whined Ryan, tugging at the hoop on his nose. He rubbed his eyes, making the dark heavy eyeliner that caked his eyes smudge worse. "And I can't walk with all these chains on my pants."

Sharpay looked at her brother in disgust. "You're supposed to be a rocker dude. Be tough, or else you won't be my boyfriend anymore!"

Ryan crossed his arms and pouted. "But I'm your brother! You can't make me dress up like that Good Charlotte guy just because you wanted to be Hilary Duff!" This was a stupid thing to say, seeing as Sharpay already had.

Taylor scrunched up her nose, apparently not pleased with the two. "You know, the fact that you two dressed up as a celebrity couple is somewhat incestuous. I think--"

She was cut off by a loud screeching noise over the intercom. All the students winced and covered their ears, hoping for the sound to go away. The familiar voice of Ms. Darbus came over the announcements, and the students sighed in relief. "Good morning, East High! I hope you've had a spectacular morning to start this wonderful day. I am glad to see that some of us have spread our wings of imagination and dressed up as celebrities, although some of your attire maybe inappropriate for regular school days. Ah, but it is Homecoming Week, is it not? The time where we all gather together in school spirit and wish the very best for our football team. Hopefully they will make many homeruns at the game!" A numerous amount of football players groaned, and a few yelled that it was touchdowns, not homeruns. "Anyway, back to business. I would like to announce that the race for Homecoming King and Queen has been opened! This year, only seniors can enter! Not only that, but any senior can run, not just someone who has been specially nominated. I tried to convince the Homecoming Committee that each and every student should have an equal opportunity, but they just wouldn't listen... Oh well. Sign ups are on the bulletin board, and have a good week!"

Gabriella grabbed Troy's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Troy, don't you think we should run for Homecoming?" She looked at him with puppy eyes and pursed her lips.

Troy smiled at her and literally swept her off her feet, causing her to squeal. "Alright then, Ms. Montez, sign us up!" He carried her over to the bulletin board and she signed both their names.

"Chad, should we sign up?" asked Taylor. Not waiting for him to answer, she strutted over to the sign up list and scribbled their names down too.

"Oh, is that a challenge?" Troy joked, putting Gabriella down and walking over to Chad.

Chad smirked and crossed his arms. "Well, I guess it is," he replied with a smooth attitude, not sensing that Troy was joking. "I always thought I was the better out of us two anyway."

Taylor and Gabriella looked at each other and smiled nervously; they knew what was coming. Ryan and Sharpay stood back though, watching what was going on with curiosity.

"We'll just see about that!" countered Troy, clearly not joking anymore. "Whoever wins Homecoming King is the better man!"

"Alright then, but I'd hate to see you lose!" Chad grabbed Taylor and started dragging her down the hallway. "C'mon Taylor, we need to practice our dancing."

Gabriella sighed and stared at Troy with disappointment. "Troy, I think you took that a bit too far."

Troy hugged her. "It's too late now. He'll just have to learn his lesson." He shook his head, and he and Gabriella began their long walk to class.

Ryan, for once, looked thoughtful. "I can't believe they're fighting. It'll make this race interesting."

Sharpay cocked an eyebrow and a sly glint appeared in her eye. "But… With them fighting like that, they'll lose popularity, and you and I can win." She walked off, causing a "Red Sea" effect down the hallway.

_This isn't good_, thought Ryan as he began to trudge after her. He wondered what exactly his mischeivious sister had in mind, and how he was going to survive the week. _I've got to-- Ooo, shiny!_

**To Be Continued...**_  
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_So, what exactly does Sharpay have in mind? And how will the rest of the school react when they find out Chad and Troy are fightin?

Reviews would be very, _very_ nice! This is my first HSM fanfic, and somewhat my return to fandom, so don't be too harsh!


	2. Chapter 2: Celebrity Monday Part Two

Thanks for all the reviews! I can't believe how popular this section is... Last time I checked, my story was number 120 on the list, and now it's like number 328 (ok, was since it'll be higher up with this update)... I guess I have friendly competition, eh?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own High School Musical. If I did, I'd own Troy Bolton, therefore somewhat owning Zac Efron, who I unfortunately do not own. -fangirl pout-

**A/N:** I don't know a thing about basketball, except for dribbling and a basket, so bear with me please.

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**Chapter 2: Celebrity Monday- Part Two**

The rest of the day had gone by without any dramatic events. Thanks to the power of gossip, the whole school now knew who was in the running for Homecoming Court, and that Chad and Troy were feuding. Some say it was because Chad made some moves on Gabriella; others said that they were fighting because of basketball. By the time lunch came around though, the one most talked about was that Troy and Chad had done something together and Troy decided to end it. (Whatever "it" was...)

Gabriella power-walked through the cafeteria, trying to ignore the whispers. She thought that the school had learned their lesson after her sophomore year, but apparantly that was far from the truth. As she walked up the stairs, she turned back and looked down at the rest of the cafeteria. Everyone was staring right back at her. Slamming her tray down on the table, she looked right at Troy. "Troy, you need to do something about this," she said, trying to keep her cool. "Have you even heard what the people are saying?"

"Yesh, sho fwath?" Troy mumbled, crumbs from his crème brûlée flying everywhere. He swallowed, and then said, "I mean, so what? It's not like we haven't dealt with this before." Flashbacks of his previous years swept through his mind; the rumor that Chad, Taylor, him, and Gabriella were having foursomes; another where Taylor and Gabriella were lesbians; and who could forget the one that said Gabriella was pregnant with Chad's lovechild? Unfortunately, thanks to new freshmen, the school was always subject to such outrageous rumors. Even worse, everybody always believed them.

"I know we have," replied Gabriella, angry at Troy's reaction. How could he not care? "But there is so much more at stake. You want to win this race, don't you?" She sighed, wishing she had never asked him to run in the first place. The whole thing was rather ridiculous, really.

Before Troy could answer, a certain kid with a huge afro walked by. "Oh, it's the losers," he sneered. Apparently he was still pissed off about what had happened in the morning. "We wouldn't want to sit next to them, right Taylor?"

"Chad, shut up," snapped Taylor as she sat next to Gabriella. "Just because you want to be a jackass doesn't mean you have to bring me down." She smiled at Gabriella. "So, ignoring my pitiful excuse for a boyfriend..." She ignored Chad's angry gasp, and didn't notice him sitting down with Ryan and Sharpay.

As Chad sat down at the table, Sharpay smiled coyly at him. "So, trouble in paradise?" she said, her voice all sweet and sugary. She whipped out a compact mirror and began applying lip gloss. "It was bound to happen eventually." As she smacked her lips together, she gave him a sympathetic pat on his shoulder. "You weren't meant to be his secondhand man anyway."

"Is that what you think I am?" Chad blurted out as he pushed Sharpay's hand of his shoulder. "The secondhand man? Second rate to Troy? Better than the rest, but no better than Troy himself?" He stood up, a fiery look on his face. "Well, I'll tell you what! I am Chad Dansforth, I am my own man, and I will be Homecoming King!" To his surprise, the cafeteria erupted into wild applause. The cheerleaders started singing a cheer that they possibly couldn't have made up on the spot, and Ryan began chanting "Chad! Chad! Chad!" Smirking, he took a bow and left the cafeteria, forgetting all about eating lunch.

-Basketball Practice-

"Alright, good job Chad!" shouted Coach Bolton as he ran up down the court, watching the team play against themselves. "Now pass it to Zeke!" Chad tossed the ball over to Zeke, who then passed it to Jason. Jason dribbled the ball down the court, and then passed it back to Chad. Chad was about to shoot for the basket, when Troy came up and knocked the ball out of his hand. He ran all the way to the halfcourt line, and shot for the basket. _Swish!_

"Why'd you have to do that, huh!" exclaimed Chad angrily, pushing Troy. "You're always hogging the ball!"

"Well, what did you expect me to do?" replied Troy as he just stood there, unfazed. "I wasn't going to let you score that easily."

"That's it, I'm sick of this!" Chad stormed out of the gym, despite Coach Bolton's threats to kick him off varsity.

"Practice is over," announced Coach Bolton. "Meet me here tomorrow during Home Room. And see if any of you can talk some sense into Mr. Dansforth. If not, there's still plenty of time to get a replacement for him."

Troy tossed his basketball into a bucket, and walked slowly over to the locker room with the rest of the team.

"Troy! Troy, wait up!" yelled a voice all the way across the gym. Sharpay ran towards him, a shocked look on her face. "Troy... I saw... I saw..."She took a deep breath. "IsawChadmakingoutwithGabriella!"

"Whoa, say that again!" Troy laughed. "I couldn't understand. Something about Gabriella?"

Sharpay took another deep breath, trying to calm down. "I saw Chad making out with Gabriella, behind the curtains in the auditorium."

It felt like a ball of lead had just been dropped into his stomach. "You're... you're lying," he whispered, trying to convince himself not to believe her. "Gabriella would never do that." Of course, Chad was angry when he had left... Troy shook his head. "Are you sure it wasn't Chad and Taylor you saw?"

"How could I get Gabriella and Taylor mixed up?" scoffed Sharpay, placing her hands on her hips. "You just don't believe me, do you?" She began walking away. "I didn't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but I felt that you had the right to know."

Troy sat down, numb with shock. Gabriella surely would never cheat on him. What reason was there to? As a couple, they rarely had any fights, and they were always trying to make sure they were both happy. Where could the relationship have gone wrong? Ryan was probably practicing some script for Drama Club, and decided to test it on him, that's all.

-School Parking Lot-

"Hey Troy!" exclaimed Gabriella, running up to him and giving him a light kiss. She climbed into the passenger side of his red pickup truck. "So how was practice?"

Lightly touching his lips, he wondered if hers had actually kissed Chad's. He got into the drivers seat and started up the truck. "Practice was okay. Chad got pissed off and left, so we had to end early." He pulled out of the school parking lot.

"I wish you guys would stop fighting," replied Gabriella, sighing. "I mean, you were best friends just yesterday." When no reply came from Troy, she kept silent. Her house soon came around the corner, but Troy drove right past it. "Troy, you just drove past my house."

"Gabriella, do you love me?" asked Troy, his hands glued to the wheel and his eyes staring at hers. He sped up the truck.

Startled, Gabriella said, "Of course I do. Why are you asking this?" She stared right back at him, wondering what was going through his head.

"Then why did Sharpay see you and Chad making out behind the curtains in the auditorium!"

"What!" she cried. "Troy, you know he's lying. I was practicing with the Decathlon Team; I didn't even go near the auditorium!"

"Don't lie to me," said Troy, speeding through several stopsigns. "It'll only make the pain worse."

Gabriella watched in horror as Troy kept speeding up. "You know I'd never lie to you! Please, slow--" She screamed as they almost crashed into another car; she pulled the emergency brake and the truck came to a screeching halt. "Troy, are you crazy!"

He remained silent, his shoulders shaking and his forehead on the wheel. "You tell me, Gabi."

She unbuckled her seatbelt and moved closer to him, tears in her eyes. "It's okay," she whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, until Troy lifted up his head and kissed her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I should've known better."

Gabriella smiled and kissed him back. "I won't blame you. Today's just been dramatic, that's all. You were caught up in the stress." She moved back into her seat. "Let's go home."

Troy started up the truck once more, and within minutes they were back at Gabriella's house. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, Gabi."

"Bye Troy! I'll call you later!"

He stayed in her driveway until she went into her house. Smiling to himself, he knew that they'd never cheat on each other. The only thing was... Why had Sharpay told him that story? Was she trying to break them up?

Troy knew tomorrow was going to be just as dramatic.

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So yeah, apologies for taking so long to update. You see, there's this evil little thing called Author's Block, and it likes plague me often. The next chappie will be coming in a shorter time than this, so no worries! 

Please read and _**REVIEW!**_ Dunno how many times I can stress that...


	3. Chapter 3: Twin Tuesday

Ugh, I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, even after I said it wouldn't take so long. It's such a busy summer, but the brightside is that I've written two more chapters (including this one), so I'll post it in a few more days or so, while working on the chapter after the next.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own High School Musical. If I did, I'd probably be making millions of buckaroos.

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Chapter 3: Twin Tuesday**

Across the school courtyard, hundreds of matching colors could be seen. Athletes decided to dress up in their sports uniform, and cheerleaders with matching hair-dos and everything. Over by the dumpster were the "rebellious" kids, who refused to give in to the school's supposed conformity, and not too far from them were the "always there but never really seen" kids, who were all divided up into pairs, and wore different colors of the rainbow.

Of course, dominating the fountain in front of the school was our familiar gang.

"Chad, are you feeling better today?" asked Taylor, as she came up to him, wearing a flowing, dark turqouise skirt that reached her knees. A lighter turqouise tanktop completed the outfit, with light blue rhinestones all over the place. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, imitating an "I Dream of Jeannie" hairstyle.

The boy, dressed in his basketball uniform, looked at her reflection in the water and slowly nodded his head. "Yeah," he replied while cradling his basketball. "I can't believe I was such a jerk yesterday."

Taylor grinned. "I think you were going through the male version of PMS." She knocked the basketball out of his hands and jumped into his lap. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she said, "But don't worry, I forgive you." The couple stared into each other's eyes for a long time before Chad finally kissed her.

"No PDA in the school courtyard!" Troy yelled, mimicking Ms. Darbus. He was also dressed up in his basketball uniform. He reached into the water fountain, right between Chad and Taylor, and took Chad's basketball out of the water. "So, you've finally learned that a woman is more important than basketball."

Gabriella ran up to the group, a wide smile on her face. "Troy, that's a lesson you still haven't learned!" She laughed as Troy dropped the ball, picked her up, and held her above the water. Her pink skirt threatened to touch the water as her ponytail swung back and forth in Troy's face. Sure enough, her outfit was just like Taylor's, except for the fact that it was a pink version.

Chad, smirking, said, "Hey Troy, if you don't put Gabriella down soon, I might sneak a peek at her underwear." The comment earned a slap on the arm from Taylor. "Ow! I was only joking!" The whole group laughed.

Hiding behind a tree, Sharpay peeked around the trunk. "I can't believe they're talking again!" Scowling, she dropped down on her knees and began crawling towards the fountain.

"Sis, why are we trying to sabotage them?" whispered Ryan, following his sister's lead. Ducking between the legs of a baseball player, he crawled faster to catch up to her. "It's not like we can't win on our own, right?"

Sharpay ignored him, and hid behind the fountain. "After all the hard work I did yesterday, Taylor just had to--"

Ryan, unaware of the reason why his sister was hiding, stood up and yelled "Hi!" at the group. They all waved at him, and he wandered over. "Sharpay's behind the fountain, if you're wondering."

Crawling away as fast as she could, Sharpay ended up hitting her head on Troy's shin. She looked up at him with a small grin.

"What are you doing down there?" asked Troy, shocked at the fact that Sharpay was willingly getting her clothes dirty.

"Just looking for my gum!" she replied cheerfully. Sticking her hands under the fountain, she grabbed a sticky piece of white gum and popped it into her mouth. Her reflex was to gag, but she managed to smile and say, "Mmm, Juicy Fruit!" Everyone looked at her like she was crazy. Standing up and brushing her clothes off, she tried to break the awkward silence. "So, you guys look terrific in your matching outfits!"

Gabriella smiled. "Aw, thank you Sharpay!" She looked at Ryan. "So I guess since you guys are already twins, you didn't bother to match?"

Sharpay scowled. "Like I'd give in to such ridiculous stereotypes. Twins don't always have to be matching. They can be maternal, you know, like me and Ryan." She ran her fingers through her hair several times, fluffing it every now and then.

Taylor laughed. "I think you meant fraternal, Sharpay." The bell rung, and Chad lifted her up. She giggled as he carried her through the front doors. Not far behind were Troy and Gabriella, doing the same.

Ryan looked over at his sister. "Aren't we going to go to class?" He attempted to lift his sister up, but ended up with a slap across the face.

"Honestly, I really don't know what to do with you!" Sharpay walked off, leaving a stunned Ryan behind.

**.:Lunch Time:.**

"Hey guys!" Chad yelled from across the cafeteria, running towards the stairs and somehow not dropping the food he was carrying. Unfortunately, the spot that Gabriella had slipped on years earlier was seemingly forever cursed, as Chad took a few steps forward and slipped. The food, a bowl of macaroni and cheese, flew into the air and landed on...

Sharpay let out a loud, shrill scream. "Danforth!" The whole cafeteria was laughing, and it was obvious that she was beyond furious. "You are such a klutz!" She grabbed several napkins from a nearby table and tried wiping the cheese stain off. When the stain wouldn't come off, she gave him an icy cold glare. "I'll make sure you pay for this."

"Whatever, Sharpay," said Chad, shrugging and walking away. He paused for a second, then turned around. With an evil smirk on his face, he said, "What's the worse you could do? Ban me from the Drama Club?" Laughing, he sat down at the group's table.

Taylor shook her head. "I can never understand Sharpay. One minute she's your friend, and two seconds later she's a witch." She hugged Chad and pinched his cheeks playfully. "I'm so proud of you."

"There is something wrong with Sharpay though," remarked Troy, scratching his head. "Yesterday, after basketball practice, she told me--"

"Taylor!" called Gabriella, running up the stairs. Despite running that fast, she didn't look flushed at all. In fact, she almost looked... Worried? "Sharpay wants to talk to you. She said to meet her in the restroom."

"Ugh, I better go see what the Ice Queen wants," moaned Taylor as she got up and left. You could hear her mumbling several insults.

Troy grabbed Gabriella's hand and pulled her into his lap. "And why do you look so worried?" He tried putting his arms around her, but she just sat there stiff and non-responsive.

Tucking her bangs back, she whispered into his ear. "What if she tells her the same lie she told you?" She pulled back and sat down in her own chair. "Then what do we do?

"Do what?" asked Chad, curious as to know what was going on. He zeroed in on Troy. "And what were you going to tell me about that thing after basketball practice?"

"Sharpay told Troy that she caught you and I making out in the auditorium," Gabriella blurted out. "And we're afraid she'll tell Taylor the same."

Just then, Taylor stormed into the cafeteria. "You little witch!" she exclaimed, knocking Gabriella out of her chair. "How dare you make out with my boyfriend!" She pulled the girl back up, only to slap her.

"It's a lie!" Gabriella grabbed her friend's shoulders, trying to calm her down. "Whatever Sharpay told you, it's a lie."

"Get off me!" Taylor shoved Gabriella towards the stairs. "I can't believe you would do something like that to me!"

Chad came over and held Taylor by the waist. The girl screamed and kicked, but he kept his grip strong. "Tay, you need to calm down before you do some serious damage."

Taylor angrily shook her head. "You're just as bad, Chad!" She finally kicked him right where it hurt, and he let go.

By this time, Troy had rushed over to check if Gabriella was alright (of course she wasn't). As Taylor walked towards them, he protectively pushed Gabriella behind him. "Look Taylor, just listen--"

"I can't believe you're defending her!" Taylor pushed Troy. He stumbled backwards and lost his balance, sending both him and Gabriella rolling down the stairs.

Troy managed to grab the railing and reached out for Gabriella, but it was too late. His stomach did several flips as he watched her fall... She didn't stop rolling until she hit the landing, unconscious. "Gabbi?" he whispered, tears in his eyes. He ran down and picked her up. "Gabriella?" The whole cafeteria stopped all movement, and Coach Bolton strolled in to check on reports of a fight.

He saw his son holding Ms. Montez, and immediately he knew something had gone terribly wrong."What happened here?" he demanded, running over to Troy.

"Dad..." Troy said tentavely, panic in his voice. "She's not... She's not breathing." Taking several deep breaths, he repeated himself. "Dad, Gabriella's not breathing!"

Coach Bolton took Gabriella out of his son's arms and shoved several trays off a nearby table. Laying Gabriella down on it, he checked her pulse for about thirty seconds. His face looked grim. "Someone call 911!"

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Chapter 4 will be along in a couple of days, since I already completed that. I hate to end in a cliffie, but... I did. **:p** I know Taylor seemed a bit OOC, but wouldn't you act that way if your friend supposedly did that? Ok, I wouldn't either, but it makes for good drama! 

Remember, review!


	4. Chapter 4: Wacky Wednesday

Y'know what I realized? I need to get more involved with the characters. Reveal more of their thoughts, go into more detail, etc. So this chapter, that's exactly what I tried to do. Hopefully it works out.

Thanks for all the reviews! If it weren't for you guys, I probably wouldn't be able to find the inspiration to keep writing, which is what happened to me when I used to write anime fanfics...

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**Chapter 4: Wacky Wednesday**

"_Mrs. Montez..." The doctor didn't look at all like he had good news. Was Gabriella in a coma? Was she dead? Troy couldn't deal with the suspense any longer."Gabriella only suffered from minor head injuries, causing her to pass out. No major damage has been done, and from what we can tell, she hasn't lost any memories."_

_The whole group, which consisted of Chad, Ryan, Coach Bolton, Mrs. Montez, and Troy, gave a sigh of relief._

"_When can she be checked out of the hospital?" asked Mrs. Montez._

_The doctor checked his clipboard. "She'll have to stay overnight, but I believe she can be checked out by tomorrow morning." Before Mrs. Montez could ask him another question, he said, "And yes, she is now allowed to have visitors."_

_Troy jumped out of his chair and ran to her room, followed by everyone else. "Gabriella!" He rushed to her bedside and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I was so worried."_

_She frowned. "Who are you?" she asked, pushing him away. "And where am I?"_

"_Gabi, don't you remember?" Troy asked earnestly. The doctor said she hadn't suffered any memory loss, and yet she didn't remember her own boyfriend?_

"_Who's Gabi?" The words stung Troy. There was no way that she'd forgotten about him, let alone her own name. He couldn't believe it. He refused to--_

"Troy, are you okay?" Gabriella asked, tilting her head in concern.

He could've kissed her right then and there. "What are you doing back at school?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her and accidetnyl hitting her.

"Ouch, watch the head," she groaned, rubbing her forehead. Despite her headache, she smiled. "I wanted to come back early. My mom wanted me to miss the day, but I don't think I could've been away from you that long."

"Well, I guess that means I have to escort you to class." Troy held out his arm, which she linked hers with, and they walked to homeroom together.

As they entered the room, Ms. Darbus gave them a look of disappointment. "So, I see you two didn't dress up for Wacky Wednesday, as did most of the classroom."

The couple looked around the room, and everyone was sporting funky outfits from the 60's, 70's, 80's, and... Even the 90's? Gabriella stifled a giggle as the two took their regular seats.

"Now that everyone is here," said Ms. Darbus, handing out papers to the students, "I'd like to tell you more about the Homecoming Dance." Pausing, she seemed like she was waiting for the class to cheer in anticipation. When no reaction followed, she frowned and continued. "It will be held at the Evans Hotel and Spa, and will take place Saturday from 7 until midnight." A wide grin took the place of her usual slight frown. "I've picked out the theme, and it shall be..." For pure dramatic effect, she paused once more. After thirty seconds of silence, she clapped her hands together joyfully. "Cinderella! It's absolutely _darling_, don't you think?"

Ryan and Sharpay were the first (and only) to clap. "What a _splendid_ idea, Ms. Darbus!" exclaimed Ryan. "I'm sure the rest of the student body agrees!"

The rest of the classroom gave out unenthusiastic "woo-hoos" and "yays", but Ms. Darbus didn't look the least bit miffed by their behavior.

"Well, I shall leave you to your business." And with that, she left the room.

That's when class _really_ started. Enormous racket erupted the minute she left the room, and the usual "chaos" ensued.

"Hey Chad!" Troy gave his best friend, whom he had not seen that morning, a high five and a chest bump. After chatting a few minutes about the upcoming NBA basketball season, he whispered, "So, where's Taylor?"

After all, Gabriella was unwilling to have major punishment dealt out to Taylor, even with a cafeteria full of witnesses. The group chose to tell the principal that Gabriella's fall was pure accident, and he simply believed them. It did make life easier. On all of them.

Chad rolled his eyes. "To hell if I know." The class went silent and everyone was now staring at him in disbelief. "What? She had no excuse to be a total bitch." Several of the girls gasped, and Chad had a "WTF?" look on his face. "Yeah, I said it! Gotta problem with that?"

"Calm down," Gabriella harshly whispered, elbowing the boy on the side of his stomach. He jumped about five feet in the air, and she smirked. The look of shock on his face was purely enjoyable, but that's what he deserved, especially for calling her best friend a bitch. "She thought you cheated on her."

"She pushed _you_ and Troy down a flight of stairs, Ms. Einsteinette." He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, though he secretly enjoyed what was going on. _She's hot when she's angr_y. "Why are you being so forgiving anyway? I seriously don't believe you'd do the same."

"You're right," she shot back, her rarely-seen temper rising. She stood up, only to be sat back down by Troy. "I wouldn't do that to my best friend, but you know how convincing Sharpay can be."

Sharpay pretended to be insulted and slapped a hand across her chest. "Why, innocent little me?" The familiar devious smirk found its way onto her face. "Why would _I_, out of all people, tell Taylor such a lie?" She shimmied her head, flipping her hair and showing off her pearly whites. "_And, _why would I be against you?"

_Because you're evil,_ Troy thought, remembering the other day. "You're a cold-hearted bitch, that's why." All eyes on him now, his jaw dropped. "Did I just say that out loud?" Gabriella shook her head in disappointment while Chad snickered, glad to have the attention off of him.

"Well, Troy Bolton," spat Sharpay, as if his name itself was venom. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, cocking her hip to the side. "We'll just see how cold-hearted I can be after I win Homecoming Queen and Ryan wins King."

Chad burst out laughing. "You? And Fruit Boy? Like that'd ever happen!"

"Heeeeey, I take personal offense to that!" cried Ryan, taking the same stance as Sharpay. _"_And I'm not a piece of fruit!"

"Let's go Ryan!" Sharpay tossed her handbag behind her back and headed for the door.

Gabriella shook her head once more. "You're not allowed to leave til the bell rings."

"You're sure doing a lot of head-shaking for 'minor injuries'!" Sharpay pouted and sat down at a desk next to the door. Just another forty minutes, then she'd be free to go.

**.:Free Period:.**

The boys of the basketball team, of course, were having their mandatory free-period workout, while Kelsi and Gabriella sat in the sidelines. Gabriella was working on her physics homework while Kelsi was writing a new composition. Or, rather, the lyrics.

"Can you sing this real quick?" Kelsi asked Gabriella, pushing up her glasses and finishing scribbling a few words on her notepad. "Unless you need me to hum the tune or maybe we could do it after school or--"

Gabriella smiled and took the notepad from the girl's trembling hands. "I think I can do it here." She felt sorry for Kelsi, always being hard at work. She remembered that even during summer vacation, Kelsi was busy writing songs for musicals, missing out on opportunities to hang out with the rest of the group. Studying the lyrics, she looked at the paper, then back at Kelsi. _How can she come up with this stuff? _Clearing her throat, she began to sing:

_It's almost like this has happened before  
Sometime, someplace, long ago  
And dancing with you  
Has brought it all back_

The basketball team stopped practicing at the sound of Gabriella's voice. Troy stood still, transfixed by the beauty of the song. Gabriella didn't notice any of the action going on around her, and continued singing.

_Is our love like a never ending fairytale?  
Everyday's the same  
Yet it always turns out to be different  
And whenever I'm with you  
I know in my heart  
This is what love should be_

Finally realizing that everyone was silent, she blushed a deep pinkish color. "I'm sorry." She gathered up her stuff and handed the journal back to Kelsi. The last thing the basketball team needed was to be yelled at by Coach Bolton. "I'll be in Mrs. Sampson's room," she whispered as she walked by Troy, who nodded his head.

Chad stared as Gabriella walked out of the gym, despite himself. _Stop staring stop staring stop-- _A basketball hit his head, interrupting his thoughts.

"Dude, why were you staring at Gabriella?" asked Jason, who had apparently thrown the basketball.

He could've killed him right then and there. All it would take is knocking him to the ground while wrapping his hands around his neck and...

Troy playfully punched Chad. "I hope you weren't enjoying the view," he joked. The boy didn't know how close to the truth he actually was.

"Hahaha, like I'd be staring at your girlfriend," Chad said, trying to keep his thoughts under wraps. "I have Taylor."

"Didn't you, like, not care about her in homeroom?" Jason so obviously did not know when to be quiet.

"Shut up."

**.:Mrs. Sampson's Room:.**

"Thanks for letting me stay in here, Mrs. Sampson." Taylor trudged to the far back corner of the science lab. Plopping down in her desk, she sighed. "I am so not ready to face the rest of the school."

"And why is that, Ms. McKessie?" Mrs. Sampson usually never got involved with a student's personal life, but then again, Taylor McKessie was an exception. It wasn't everyday one of her prized students showed up late to school, looking depressed.

For some weird reason, Taylor trusted Mrs. Sampson as her confidante, and told her everything that had happened so far that week. "And I think Sharpay's up to something, but I can't figure out what."

Mrs. Sampson remained silent, pondering over several scenarios. "Well, have you considered the idea that maybe Sharpay wants to win Homecoming Queen and is trying to destroy her candidate's reputations so that she has a better shot?"

Taylor gaped, shocked that she hadn't thought of it first. "That conniving little--"

Gabriella walked into the room, carrying a load of textbooks. "Mrs. Sampson, can I stay in here?"

The teacher smiled. "Sure, Ms. Montez. Why don't you join Ms. McKessie and I back here?" She was hoping that the two could resolve things, and do something about that nasty Sharpay. The girl never liked science anyway.

"Umm, I just remembered, there's this thing I have to do..." Taylor tried to leave the room, but that was a failed attempt right from the beginning. Gabriella stood right in the doorway, making sure the girl wouldn't be able to get out.

"Look, I'm not mad or anything," Gabriella said, still blocking the exit. She hoped that Taylor still wasn't mad about the lie Sharpay had told. They were best friends, and even though Taylor should have given her the benefit of the doubt, she had already forgiven her friend. "But why did you believe Sharpay?"

Tears came pouring out. "I don't know Gabriella. With all that's been going on so far this week, I thought... I thought that Chad would do something like that, just to get back at Troy. And then I thought you went along with it just for the heck of it and..."

Dropping her textbooks, Gabriella gave her friend a big hug. "It's okay. We'll get back at Sharpay, somehow."

Her tears dried up. With an evil glint in her eye, she laughed. "And I think I know how to."

**.:After School, Gabriella's House:.**

Taylor had set up a chalkboard in Gabriella's living room, full of scribbles and doodles of different places in the school. "Okay, so here's the plan--"

"Why are we here again?" Chad asked impatiently, sitting on a recliner. He had been dragged to the house by Troy, who insisted that they'd watch a basketball game. Now, come to found out, that wasn't the case. Which was extremely uncomfortable for Chad, being at Gabriella's house with the way he had been feeling about her lately.

Troy sat happily on a couch with Gabriella, their arms wrapped around each other. "Chad, just listen to her." The two (Chad and Taylor) hadn't officially broken up as a couple, but it was right around the corner. Troy could sense this, and wanted to do everything possible to keep the two together. He was not about to spend the rest of senior year trying to find Chad another girlfriend.

It was the same for Gabriella. She couldn't help but be worried about the now-imminent breakup. As tough as Taylor tried to act, Gabriella could see right through it, and knew her friend would feel like nothing without Chad.

"_Anyway_ ," Taylor continued, annoyed at the interruption. She pointed to a badly drawn school courtyard and led the group through the various steps of their revenge.

Plan Melt the Ice was now in effect.

* * *

Blee! So there it is. It's just pretty much a filler chappie (don't Wednesdays feel like that anyway?), but the next chapter, Sharpay better watch out. Please review! I know you're reading, so it isn't that much trouble to say "OMG I luv ur story!" at least! 

And a note about the song Gabriella sings: That will be important later on in the story, and the song is my own. You can take if you want; I don't mind, considering I just put it together for the sole purpose of this story, which is why it's so crappy. I just put a bunch of lines together, so it wasn't well thought out at all.


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